To Vietnam! 4 days 3 nights. Jas, Jen, Sherry and Shirlyn sponsored $40 each =P
2 days tour, 2 days free and easy, aka SHOPPING. Sherry, Shirlyn, Jas and me went to Ho Chi Minh - Scooter City!
I bought 2 hp holders, 2 bags, 2 recycled-can-ornament cars, 30 dragonflies, 10 fans, 1 tee, 5 packs lotus seeds, 2 pouches and 6 clay flower ornaments, and had ice cream twice, 1 lunch, 1 night drink, 1 express mani, 1 express pedi and at least 5 taxi rides- all for S$120!! Trip overall cost is S$788 (excluding shopping) 'cos we took SIA instead of budget airline.
Our shopping was mostly centered around Cho (Market) Ben Thanh, 'cos the rest were not touristy, and too far from our hotel.
The hotel was amazing! Newly opened 1 year ago, it is essentially a 3-star hotel, 'cos no bar / gym / pool, but the facilities were great! Big beds, clean and spacious toilet, flat-screen tv, and overall cosy and welcoming! I really expected worse for a 3-star hotel.
Food was err.. up to the individual's liking. =P The people there were all slim or skinny, did not spot any plump ones at all, though the Viet food was generally deep fried and quite oily. I cannot survive the food there 'cos of the mint leaves. Straight off the plant, the leaves were unprocessed, HOT and bitter!
Even for me, though I like my chillies, the mint there was really beyond me. The menthol feeling explodes in your mouth, and they were everywhere!! Was hard for me to stomach the food. There were a lot of tomato bases too.. Yes, I don't like tomatoes. If I ever want to lose weight, I'll ship myself off to Viet for a month!
The road-crossing was scary, yet thrilling! No proper traffic lights / zebra crossing. Just wait, look, cross! I led the girls a few times, but they kept screaming 'til I finally got scared as well. Odd. Shouldn't it be I get afraid first?
The tour took us to Cu Chi Tunnels, Mekong Delta, and some other landmarks like Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace and Coconut Candy workshops. Will upload pictures another time.
The tunnels were remmants of the war - similar to what I saw in Cambodia during my volunteer work with Boys' Brigade. Gruesome, heart-wrenching, educational. We also took some boat rides on the Delta - and saw lots of water hyacinth!
Would like to go back - I love rustic places. Would be nice to see other parts of Viet too. It's always wonderful to learn about other cultures.
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